How to get a benefit of up to €350 per year

Energy costs are becoming a major headache for households and businesses, but there are easy ways to reduce them without getting out of control.

With small changes to our daily habits we can save energy and see big differences in our bills. The key is in ‘smart’ consumption that minimises waste and ‘deflates’ bills.

So, with simple and smart steps described in detail on below, an average household can save up to €350 a year on their electricity and gas bills:

1. Temperature: at bedtime reduce the temperature to 16o C -17o C. Set the thermostat to 19o C in winter and the air conditioners to 26o C in summer.

2. Gas boiler: Keep the maximum heating water temperature of the condensing boiler below 60o C.

3. Cooking: Cook with the lid off or pressure cooker and do not preheat the oven. Set the oven to fan mode, avoid preheating, and turn it off 15 minutes before the end of cooking to take advantage of existing heat.

4. Washing: Wash clothes in a full washing machine at 30o C or 40o C. Avoid pre-washing where possible.

5. Lighting : We don’t leave lights on unnecessarily and replace the bulbs with LEDs.

6. Electrical appliances: Unplug electrical appliances when not in use.

7. Fridge-freezer: set the preservation to 4-5o C and the freezer to -18o C.

8. Radiators: Do not cover the space around the radiators in order to circulate the warm air and ventilate them properly and regularly.

9. Gas radiators: Keep the maximum condensing boiler heating water temperature below 60o C.

10. Water heater: we adjust the temperature of the water heater up to 60o – 65o C for a family.

Avoid peak hours

Another point to pay special attention to is the peak hours, 6 pm to 9 pm. The high consumption during these hours increases the price of electricity horizontally, as more expensive power plants (e.g. natural gas plants) come on line to meet demand, which “inflate” the average daily price of a kilowatt hour.

So by limiting the use of the most energy-intensive appliances (e.g. dishwashers and washing machines, dryers, ironing, cooking, etc.) during the three-hour period in question (and using them freely at any other time of the day), we all enjoy cheaper electricity.

Electricity and gas

The high energy costs of recent months have been fuelled by the dramatic rise in international gas prices as a consequence of the war in Ukraine. Natural gas and electricity are directly linked since 40% of the electricity we consume in Greece is produced by gas-fired power plants. Therefore, when the price of the former rises, the price of the latter also rises.

Therefore, the more the use of natural gas is limited in the current climate, the greater the benefits for consumers and businesses, but also for the country as a whole. Correspondingly, less electricity consumption translates into less gas imports, since 70% of the fuel is directed to electricity generation.